Why and How to Preserve Baby Teeth

Parents love to keep certain mementoes from their child’s early years. Some may save the first footprints while some may keep locks of hair of their child. Similarly, some parents may even prefer preserving their child’s milk teeth. Many scientists of today also encourage parents to store their kid’s ‘baby teeth’ for stem cell research. However, you must know how to take proper care of your baby’s teeth before you conserve them. After careful cleaning, you can either place them in a small container or stick them in a memory book as souvenirs.

Why Should You Preserve Your Baby’s Teeth

Teething is an important milestone. When you see the first tooth of your baby, obviously you are very excited. Naturally, you will want to preserve it after it falls. And preserving your baby’s first tooth is not that difficult. Your baby’s teeth may lose some of the lustre but other than that there isn’t any significant problem.

Saving your baby’s first teeth may also prove beneficial as they contain stem cells which have remarkable regenerative qualities. Simply put, stem cells can renew themselves and convert into more specialised cells with the ability to repair specific organs and tissues. Most doctors suggest keeping a child’s baby teeth, as the stem cells in their teeth can be harvested and later utilised for treating the child, if he suffers from any disease, like cancer or spinal cord injury. These stem cells can also be used for replacement tissue or cell therapy in case of burns and macular degeneration. Therefore, preserving baby teeth for stem cells can save a child’s life.

In case you are keen to donate your child’s early teeth for stem cell research, consult your dentist first for appropriate information and guidance.

Ways to Preserve Your Baby’s Teeth

Before you go about preserving your baby’s teeth, you must know how to preserve it the right way. Usually, parents like to keep the first tooth. Here is how you can store baby teeth for stem cells at home:

1. Clean

To protect your baby’s teeth, first clean them properly with soap and water.

2. Disinfect

It is also important to disinfect the teeth. You can easily do this by using cotton swabs and brushing the teeth surfaces with rubbing alcohol.

3. Dry

Completely drying the teeth is also vital. In case the teeth are not properly dried it can lead to the development of bacteria. You can use a cotton towel to dry the teeth. Air drying for some time may also prove useful.

By preserving your baby’s teeth or even his first tooth, you can hold on to the memories of his childhood. The practice of keeping your baby’s milk teeth can also save his life in the future by forming the basis of various treatment for life-threatening illnesses.

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